The Most Powerful Kage We Ever See In The Naruto Series

As any longtime "Naruto" fan will know, the Kage system is incredibly important when it comes to governing the realm. To recap, each of the Five Great Shinobi Countries has its own hidden village (where that country's ninjas live), and the leader of each hidden village is known as a "Kage" (via Narutopedia). Kages are considered to be the greatest shinobi in their respective regions and are in charge of overseeing their hidden village, as well as sending that village's ninjas on various missions throughout the land.

Obviously, the Kage we get to know the best throughout the series is Naruto Uzumaki, who would eventually become the 7th Hokage (a title which literally means "Fire Shadow) of the Hidden Leaf Village by the end of the series, but we are introduced to several other Kage along the way. Each one is a warrior of incredible strength, known around the world for their battle prowess and mastery of their jutsu — but which Kage was the strongest of all?

The obvious answer would of course be Naruto, whose status as jinchūriki and mastery of Six Paths Sage Mode makes him easily the greatest Kage alive — though there is an argument to be made that even his power is outmatched by his predecessor Hashirama Senju: the 1st Hokage.

Renowned as one of the greatest shinobi to ever live, Hashirama founded the Hidden Leaf Village alongside Madara Uchiha, becoming the first Kage ever (and thereby, the first Hokage) shortly thereafter (via Narutopedia). Like Naruto, Hashirama is a reincarnation of the legendary Asura Ōtsutsuki, and as such was gifted incredible physical abilities and a near-endless amount of chakra.

His Wood Release ability allowed him to create entire forests on a whim, and his powerful chakra allowed him to transition into Sage Mode instantly whenever he needed to. Perhaps the greatest example of his power came during his battle against his longtime friend turned rival Madara –— wherein he single-handedly managed to defeat eight of the nine Tailed Beasts before taking down Madara himself, despite the fact that his rival had the Nine-Tailed Beast under his control. Their fight was so devastating that it carved out a swath of landscape that would eventually become known as the Valley of the End. 

Hashirama was without a doubt the most powerful Kage we meet outside of Naruto, and his feats were so incredible that he absolutely deserves to be right up there with Naruto in terms of overall power.